A Good Week

This has been a good week with new experiences. I bought a bike from Elder Ah Mu this week which I am happy about because now I have two bikes, one for the flats and one for the hills! 

We had a zone training on Tuesday which was training us about following up. If you don't follow up then you can't follow your map to the treasure. We had a follow up training meeting (This is for companionship who are training a new missionary). It was good and lasted about 4 hours! All the trainers were gathered together into one group while the other missionaries did the same in another room. We talked about how we could best help our companions learn and grow as missionaries. To be honest it was pretty funny to hear some of the things. It was nice to be able to get some new ideas! 

View from the Oakland Temple over Oakland

We share the work in this ward with two sisters so we had a baptism this week! The  woman who was baptized had been investigating the church for about five years already! The sisters asked me if I could sing with them while my companion played the piano, Luckily two other elders showed up. haha I am glad it is over. ;-). Baptism isn't complete without confirmation though and so on Sunday we were asked to be part of that, which was a good experience. Being part of the Priesthood is amazing and it is one solid anchor for me in the Gospel. I know the Priesthood is real through observing the miracles that come from righteous use and being able to experience it for myself, I know it is real. 

My Haircut

We have been able to teach Larry who is going to be baptized in a few weeks! He is doing great and we are also going to start to teach his son who will be baptized on the same day! A member was able to refer us to one of his friends who is now starting to investigate the church. His name is Abe. He came to church and also a fireside in the evening. 

Last night we were able to go go to Why I Believe, which is a fireside where recent converts share their conversion stories. It was my first time going and it was amazing! I would like to end with a few of the stories from these brothers and sisters. One girl who went up was about 20. She said that if someone would have asked her if she would be a Mormon she would have laughed at you. Her life was rough. Her dad used to beg her to come to church and used to offer something like a pizza for going. So she would go but never pay attention. Her dad asked her where she saw her self in 10 years. She answered that she saw herself either in jail or dead.  Because both her parents worked, it was easy for her to get away with drinking. She started drinking at age 12 and started to be addicted. She started to smoke things and she also joined a gang!

A cool Primary card

What hurt her though, was that her younger twin brothers were following in her footsteps and started doing the same things. Their dad went to jail but kept urging her to go to church. He told her that he was going on a 40 day fast. He fasted and fasted. On day 40... she ran into the missionaries... She started to investigate and her life started to change. Everything about her has changed. From darkness into light. Her two twin brothers also started to investigate and they were baptized a month later than her. This is the gospel, it changes people. It is a way of life. It will bring happiness into your life. Just as another speaker said, that he felt so much happier ever since he was baptized. I know that is true. Another person shared his story, he said that he could feel something different with the Mormons, something warm. Why are Mormons so happy? 

Eating and discussing the work after church

I know this gospel is true and that the gospel of Jesus Christ does bring happiness and light into the world. I would like to leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Love, Elder Kloosterboer.